James II

James II (b. St James’s Palace, Middlesex, England, 14 October 1633; d. St Germain, France, 6 September 1701) As Duke of York, James had been the proprietor of New York, which was named for him. His conversion to Catholicism (ca. 1671) turned most Englishmen and colonists against him well before he became king in 1685. He fled to France after the Revolution of 1688, which set off rebellions against his governors in the colonies.